Question

    When I was 17, I read a magazine article about a museum called the McNay, once the home of a watercolorist named Marian McNay. She had requested the community to turn it into a museum upon her death. On a sunny Saturday, Sally and I drove over to the museum. She asked, “Do you have the address?” “No, but I’ll recognize it; there was a picture in the magazine.”

“Oh, stop. There it is!”

The museum was free. We entered, excited. A group of people sitting in the hall stopped talking and stared at us.

“May I help you?” a man asked. “No,” I said. “We’re fine.” Tour guides got on my nerves. What if they talked a long time about a painting you weren’t that interested in? Sally had gone upstairs. The people in the hall seemed very nosy (爱窥探的), keeping their eyes on me with curiosity. What was their problem? I saw some nice sculptures in one room. Suddenly I sensed a man standing behind me. “Where do you think you are?” he asked. I turned sharply. “The McNay Art Museum!” He smiled, shaking his head. “Sorry, the McNay is on New Braunfels Street.” “What’s this place?” I asked, still confused. “Well, it’s our home.” My heart jolted (颤动). I raced to the staircase and called out, “Sally! Come down immediately!”

“There’s some really good stuff up there.” She stepped down, looking confused. I pushed her toward the front door, waving at the family, saying, “Sorry, please forgive us. You have a really nice place.” Outside, when I told Sally what happened, she covered her mouth, laughing. She couldn’t believe how long they let us look around without saying anything.

The real McNay was splendid, but we felt nervous the whole time we were there. Van Gogh, Picasso. This time, we stayed together, in case anything else unusual happened.

Thirty years later, a woman approached me in a public place. “Excuse me, did you ever enter a residence, long ago, thinking it was the McNay Museum?”

“Yes. But how do you know? We never told anyone.”

“That was my home. I was a teenager sitting in the hall. Before you came over, I never realized what a beautiful place I lived in. I never felt lucky before. You thought it was a museum. My feelings about my home changed after that. I’ve always wanted to thank you.”

1.What do we know about Marian McNay?

A.She passed away.

B.She worked as a community leader.

C.She helped in the museum.

D.She wrote articles for magazines.

2.Why did the author refuse the help from the man in the house?

A.She disliked people who were nosy.

B.She felt nervous when talking to strangers.

C.She knew more about art than the man.

D.She mistook him for a tour guide.

3.How did the author feel about being stared at by the people in the hall?

A.Puzzled and annoyed. B.Concerned and anxious.

C.Frightened and upset. D.Delighted and excited.

4.What could we learn from the last paragraph?

A.People should have good taste to enjoy life.

B.People should spend more time with their family.

C.People tend to be blind to the beauty around them.

D.People tend to educate teenagers at a museum.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。作者和朋友原想参观McNay博物馆，却误将一个私人住宅当成McNay博物馆。30年后，一位女士认出误撞入自己住宅的作者，指出正是因为作者的误撞入自己家才让她意识到自己住的地方有多么美丽。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中“She had requested the community to turn it into a museum upon her death”可知，作者去参观的McNay 博物馆是已故去的Marian McNay的家变成的。Marian McNay已经去世。故选A项。

2.推理判断题。根据第四段中“Tour guides got on my nerves. What if they talked a long time about a painting you weren’t that interested in?”可知，作者误认为屋子里的男人是位导游，而拒绝了他的帮助。故选D项。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段中“The people in the hall seemed very nosy(爱窥探的), keeping their eyes on me with curiosity. What was their problem?（大厅的人看起来都非常爱窥探的，眼睛好奇地看着我。他们怎么了？）”可以推断出，作者当时感到困惑不解，不知道为什么那些人盯着她看；也觉得他们爱窥探他人，有点生气。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中“Before you came over, I never realized what a beautiful place I lived in”可知，在作者到她家参观之前，这位女士从未意识到自己住的地方多么美丽，从而可以推断出，人们往往对自己周围的美视而不见。故选C项。